Commonly-owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,484,743 to Bauckman, whose contents are incorporated herein in their entirety by this reference, discloses exemplary flow control assemblies for use especially with automatic swimming pool cleaners (APCs). As disclosed in the Bauckman patent, versions of the assemblies may be “place[d] between lengths of hose or fittings used in swimming pools,” for example. See Bauckman, col. 3, 11. 26-27. Such an assembly may include a body having an inlet and an outlet together with a pivoting cover. When the cover pivots to an open position because of reduced pressure inside the body, a bypass inlet to the body is formed. See id., 11. 48-53.
Commonly-owned U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0226361 of van der Meijden, et al., whose contents likewise are incorporated herein in their entirety by this reference, describes other bypass devices for use principally with pool and spa water-cleaning systems. Referenced in the van der Meijden application as “idler mechanism[s],” at least one version of the devices may be “configured as an interface unit for positioning between a hose and a body of an APC.” See van der Meijden, p. 1, ¶0012. This version may include both an inlet and an outlet as well as an additional opening intended, when open, to allow fluid to bypass the APC.